Fluid control for rotary turbine type hydraulic torque converters



May 19, 1953 o. K. KELLl-:Y 2,638,746

FLUID CONTROL FOR ROTARY TURBINE TYPE HYDRAULIC TORQUE CONVERTERS Original Filed Sept. 14, 1946 lrwentor wwf/Maf l Mgr/gaz@ Cltlorrmu Patented May 19, 1953 FLUID CONTROL FOR RO'TRY TUR-BINET HYDRAULXG TOR-QUEON'VERTERS Ioil-:vu: K. Kelley, Birmingham,'Miqmassiguor .tu y `General Vlldotors Corporation, Detroit, Mich.; "a corpcration of Delaware Original 4application. September 14, "19146, `Serial No. l$974,092.

Divided and this application Novem'ber `30,` 1949., Serial N0. 1313836 The present application is a `divisional of .my application for U. S. Letters Patent S. N. 6971.192 iiled September 14, 1946, for Continuous Torque Drive.

The present invention relates to hydraulic torque converters and more particularly to fluid control for rotary turbine type hydraulic torque converters. y l

vThe invention is adaptable for use in heavy vehicle `transmissions as `v/ell as in connection with hydraulic torque converters used in tractors, oilwell drills, :mine machinery, pumps, etc., and equally Well `in passenger vehicles `having such torque vconverter transmission` An object of the invention is to provide a uid system for hydraulic rotary turbine type torque yconverters wherein the Working uid is properly circulated through the torque converter and wherein the iluid is maintained at Aa yproper operating temperature.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a fluid Asystem for a hydraulic torque converter WhereinoilOXidatiOn and slushing are minimized.

Further objects of my `invention will appear in the detailed description `."followin'g., in connection with the"acco'1npanying "drawing and from the appended claims. l

The figure is a diagram of the torque con-` verter fluid ilo-w `and supply system shown Fin a' more complete hydraulic :system fcr a power transmission. The iluid "system may be used with other types of hydraulic torque 'converters than shown and in other types of power trans missions.

As shown in the igure, shaft 2 is the torque converter input shaft and is driven hy a 'prime mover such as an Vinternal combustion engine. The left end of `input shaft il extends intothe work space of `a torque fconverter housing .and is integrally formed `With a bladed `irnpeller rotor 5. Reaction blades 6 and a hladed turbine rotor l are positioned rwithin said Work space, the reaction yblades being iixed to 'the `innerwall of the housing and the turbine :rotor losing fixed to a driven shaft t which drives `output shaft Ell byway of a gear transmission"represented by pinion gears |5 and l. The `torquecun` verter is of `a known variety and its operation is described in Letters Patent U. S. t# 1,199,359. to lFttinger issued September 26, '1916.

A sump f|| isV provided to maintain atsupply of oil to be pumped through `a lter1|02*ha\tin`g a screen |03. The oil is supplied to `either pump `unit Q or :unit P. The pump provides "4 claims. (C1. scr- 54) 2 luidUn'derpreSsure '.fcrlubrication of the transmission and ,to the ,valve `body |99 'which Controls flow off iuid under `pres siue to various lements-that "operate the hydraulically controlled change speed `gear unit not shown, this gear unit bfirlg driven f rcrn gears |"5 and lli` Qther gear `units `may be 4provided -i front of the torque @diverter n't 0r "behind it depending on the variety of ratios and maximumtordue ratio desired. The 'gear unit may be an overspeed rnechanisin or any ordinary torque in;- creasing .mec l`1ar1isrn.4

Pump uriitQ cnssts of pump gears lill, UB and `||`9 mounted on three shafts; the .gears adapted .to cooperate to pump `liquid Vfrom supply or suction chambers 1|'22 `and |25 yto pressure chambers A|23 land |24. VThe .gear shafts are driven 'from `the gear unit not Shown Qnnectefl withI gears "|`5 arid I6. Pufllp pressure chamber l'zccnnt with passage'lgi? 'that furtherccnnects with side passages '|"4I ormed in output Shait These 'side passages .Cfllinect to Circular passagelforine'd in 'shaft that leads to circular passage "|31 and s idje lubrication passage l|33 o'f the 1gear""'i1nit. This "lubrication passage |31 is further supplied through 'check valve! |32 "that will "be 'described in more ffietail beloiw. Pump pressure passage |23 in addition to 'connecting with lubrication Ipassage lll! also connects with regulatingvalve Ml by luayoi passage V44 leadingto `cylinder |46. The valve |41 is held against pump pressure by spring Wfl! and when the pump pressure is in excess of approximately thevalve opens allowing the ipre'ssure to relieve :through passage H8 to suction chanfiloer 122 'of the-pump Q A'Pump pressure Vchamber |24 opens t'o"p`ass1age '|52 leading to the-'valve bod-y |98 that supplies iiuid under pressure for control and operation 'of the change speed gear unit.v 'This' gear unit and its control for-His `no part `ofthe 'lpres'ent in` vention. Thevalve ipctiy'l has passages '215, 2H and |`|8` leading' te Eccntrdl units of the gearing not sliotvnll This va/ive bcdy and its control of "the 1'change speedl'gearing is fully described in my application 5697;@921 cited above. Pump 1P' `has "a `suc'tln inlet por-t |f||` openingl to pump suction passage llldleadinginto `filter IMQ passage 5MM. connects also with la passage leading to a "central valve :|08 connected to the sump 10|., the valve `.being held by spring |09 that fellows htigre 4kvalve to. vopem'fat a `suction Iof about T5 lbs. above `thatof the sump `compari;` ment. This provides an Iad'ditienal Liliput fsupply to .pump .fP that iis ipropcrtionaiwith .increase of engine speeds. 'Ihe pressure value of this valve may be predetermined for desired operating response by selection of valve area and spring force.

Pump Pvconsistsfof a pump gear v| Illa` keyed to input shaft 2, and hence, is driven directly by the prime mover, and a gear idler H012, the gear and idler members cooperating to produce suction and pressure in a well known manner.. Y

Pump P provides fluid under pressure through outlet port ||2 opening to pump discharge passage |29. 'I'his passage feeds to an unbalanced regulator control valve |26 that operates against an adjustable spring |21. This -valve has two lands of unequal area so thatiluid pressure entering between the lands from the pump acts to move the valve up against the spring. Whenever the pump pressure exceeds 100 lbs., valve |26 is raised to allow fluid under pressure to enter pressure line |30 leading to the inner radial working space ofthe torque converter. A second outlet port between the valve lands is connected to pressure passage 3| that leads to control valve body |99. This last passage provides an additional supply of oil to the valve body for use in the control of the gear unit. A dynamic flow of liquid through the torque converter is maintained by providing a check valve |32 loaded by a spring |33 in the shaft 8. The shaft 8 has a central passage |34 leading to the check valve and is connected to the torque converter working space by means of side passages |35. Check valve |32 opens to allow fluid to pass into central passage |31, such uid draining back to the supply sump through the lubrication passages described above.

The temperature of the oil in the torque ccnverter is controlled by providing a circulation of the liquid through a cooler unit 256. High pressure liquid in the outer radial zone of the turbine working space is allowed to pass to the cooler by a thermostatic valve |55 located in passage |51 leading to pressure line |58 and thence to the cooler unit 250 as shown in the ligure.

The thermostatic valve |55 which may be of common commercial type, is adjustable to open at temperatures of approximately 250 F. so that the cooler can maintain the whole circulating oil body at temperatures below the Ydecomposition point of the oil. rI'he outlet passage |56 from the cooler is connected in two ways, rst, to the inner low pressure zone of the converter working space, and second, to the regulator valve |54 having an outlet lead to suction line HM of the front pump P. This regulator valve |54 is adjustable to open at approximately '75 lbs. of

pressure.

By this arrangement of by-passing, the foaming of the lhot oil that would otherwise be entirely circulated through the converter is avoided, and the bearings of the transmission are adequately lubricated by a cool oil. The thermostatic valve can be adjusted to maintain dilerent Working temperatures of the torque converter depending on the type of drive work and operating conditions present. v

The fluid control system described above, in connection with an application of the invention to a construction example, provides for controlling the ilow, pressure, and temperature in the torque converter and the advantages of such control will be apparent to one skilled in the art as will the application of the vinvention to other arrangements than the particular one disclosed in the example.

What I now claim and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent is:

l. In combination with a torque converter having a bladed working space, a pump, a Dump pressure discharge passage, a pressure control valve in said pump discharge passage responsive v to pressure in said passage, a pressure supply passage connecting said control valve to the inner radial zone of said converter working space, said control valve being eiective in one position to block said pressure supply passage from said pump discharge passage and effective in a second position to establish communication between said passages, an oil cooler, a passage connecting the outer radial zone of said converter working space to said oil cooler, valve means responsive to the temperature of fluid in said working space for controlling the discharge of uid from said working space, said valve being eiective in one position to block the iiow of fluid from said working space to said last-mentioned passage and effective in another position to connect said converter working chamber and said cooler in series, an oil return passage connecting said oil cooler to the inner radial zone of said converter working space, and valve means responsive to pressure in said return passage for limiting the pressure of fluid returned to said working space from said cooler.

2. In combination with a torque converter having a bladed working space, a pump, a pump discharge passage, a control valve connected to said pump discharge passage responsive to pressure in said passage, a pressure supply passage connecting said control valve to the inner radial zone of said bladed working space, said control valve being elective in one position to block 01T said pressure supply passage from said pump discharge passage and eiTective in a second position to establish communication between said passages, an oil cooler, a passage leading from the outer radial zone of said bladed working space to said oil cooler, a passage leading from said oil cooler to the inner radial zone of said Working space, a pump suction passage, a branch passage connecting said oil cooler discharge passage and said pump suction passage, and a pressure regulating valve in said branch passage for regulating the pressure of oil supplied to the inner radial zone of said bladed working space.

3. In combination with a torque converter having a bladed working space, a pump, suction and discharge passages for said pump, a pressure control valve in said pump discharge passage responsive to pressure in said passage, a pressure supply passage connecting said control valve to the inner radial Zone of said bladed Working space, said control valve being eiective in one position to block said pressure supply passage from said pump discharge passage and effective in another position to establish communication between said passages, an oilcooler, a passage connecting the outer radial zone of said bladed Working space to said oil cooler, valve means responsive to temperature of oil in said bladed working space for controlling the discharge of fluid to said last-mentioned passage, a return passage connecting the inner radial zone of said bladed Working space and said oil cooler, a branch passage connecting said return passage and said pump suction passage, and a valve responsive to pressure in said branch passage eiective in one position to block off said branch passage from said pump suction passage and effective in another position to establish oil flow communication between said return passage and said pump suction passage.

4. In combination with a torque converter having a bladed Working space, a pump, a pump discharge passage, a pressure control valve in said pump discharge passage responsive to pressure in said passage, a pressure supply passage connecting said control Valve to the inner radial zone of said Working space, said control valve being effective in one position to block 01T said pressure supply passage from said pump discharge passage and effective in a second position to establish communication between said passages. a fluid exhausting passage leading from the inner radial zone of said Working space, a check valve controlling the discharge of fluid from said fluid exhaust passage, an oil cooler, a passage connecting the outer radial zone of said bladed Working space and said oil cooler. a thermostat valve References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,640,608 Klimek Aug. 30, 1927 2,143,312 Griswold Jan. 10, 1939 2,322,577 Kuhns et al June 122, 1943 2,343,304 La Brie Mar. 7, 1944 2,357,295 'Thompson Sept. 5, 1944 2,423,812 Karl et al July 8, 1947 2,459,734 McCracken Jan. 18, 1949 

